Current Events at ACL Fest: Democrats, Republicans and Washington Mutual

“I don’t give a fuck if you’re a Democrat or Republican, just vote,” Pharrell urged. Onstage and off, current events seem to be looming over ACL far more than any other festival I’ve been to. Bukue One, rocking a red Obama T-shirt, urged everyone to vote, Democrat or Republican. Hundreds of people were in the TV lounge for the night’s presidential debate; I was surprised to see that many people watching TV at a music festival when there wasn’t even a game on.

Of course, some of them may have been employees of festival sponsor and colossal failure Washington Mutual. I didn’t hear anyone yell, “Wa Hoo!” The bank had a photo booth with the deliciously ironic slogan “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” But the WaMu marketing team handing out neon sweatbands didn’t seem any less forcefully cheerful. That is, until you ask the question they’d probably been hearing all day.